Chapter 21 - Back to Laola -

They spend the night outside Dekane mines. The next morning Sam checked Toro his wounds. "I can't heal them all, I don't have the power yet." David came closer and took a look at the wounds. "We should go back to Laola, she can heal him completly." "So, that's it!" shouted Lari. "How do you mean?" asked Sven. "We can finaly go back on adventure and you 3 ruin it. Now we can go back to those swamps getting eaten by musquitos." MrBored glared to Larimar but said nothing. He knew they did something wrong. Toro pushed himself up. Everyone saw he had pain. "Lari... No one told you that you have to go with me." For a moment everyone was quiet. Neocro jumped up. "Ofcourse we go with you. Without us you wouldn't have been in such troubles." Toro smiled. "Are you sure? I mean, I won't be able to go all alone but if only one of you go with me, then I'll be fine." Smoer shaked her head. "We'll go with you. If you are back alright we'll go on another adventure." Lari was quiet. "I don't want to go back to Laola." "And what if I promise that I'll take you to Azria after I'm back ok?" said Toro. Lari her eyes started to shine. "Azria...? Sounds like a dangerous place!" Smoer and David looked to eachother and smiled. "Very dangerous, Larimar." said David. Lari took a blinkwing out of her bag. "Come, Toro needs to get healed fast." The others laughed. Sam and Neocro helped Toro on his leggs. Then they all took a blinkwing to Darken.
A boy stepped out of the shadow of the entrance of Dekane mines. He sweared. "They just nèver die!"

The 8 came in Darken city. Toro put himself down near the bank to rest while the other looked around in the shops. When Toro felt like he would be fine they step slowly to the north of the city. They walked trough the cave that leaded to the big gate of Darkon 3. Sometimes they had to stop to give Toro some rest. When they finaly reached the gate they jumped on their boards. When everyone was sure that Toro wouldn't fall off it, they flied trough the labyrint of plants and hills where the Hoppres were hidden. Smoer looked to the sky. There was smoke in the air. And behind the hills, that seprated Celindir from the big forest, the air was red. Smoer flied near David. "Why is the sky red?" David his eyes looked scared. "Fire..." He started to fly faster. Smoer followed him. The others stayed around Toro.

Smoer saw David standing in the gate that leaded to the forest. He held his breath for a moment and ran trough the gate. Smoer jumped off her broom. David disappeared into the direction of Laola her house. When she reached the gate she couldn't believe her eyes. After she took time to take a deep breath she ran after David. The others reached the gate a bit later. Neocro and Sam walked near Toro so he could lean on them. When they walked trough the gate they shocked. The forest... It was burning. Everywhere lied broken trees. There was alot smoke and it was difficult to breath. This was once a place with fresh air. This was once a peaceful place where high trees made the sky. "What... What the hell?" said Larimar. Toro walked forward. "This can't be..." "Laola!" said Neocro. "We have to go to her house!" Toro tried to run but the pain held him. It took a while before they finaly reached Laola her house. Again, they couldn't believe their eyes. The house wasn't a house anymore. It was broken and on fire. There was David, on his knees and hands on the ground. Smoer was standing near him, her hand on his back. At the side sat Foloya. They all remembered her as a happy girl. She looked sad now, really sad. Sam, Lari, Neocro, Sven, MrBored and Toro came closer. "What... What happened?" asked Sven. No one answered. David got up. "We have to find Laola." Foloya shaked her head and walked to the young heroes. "She... She ran behind the clockworks." "In what direction did she run?" shouted David. Foloya pointed to the place where Antiqueries walked around. "David... Don't go... It's already too late." said Foloya before David ran away. But he didn't listen. He ran to the direction where Foloya pointed to. Smoer, Lari, Sven and MrBored followed. Sam and Neocro stayed behind with Toro who was too tired to walk. After running for a while they found a dead clockworks between some heavy burning trees. David ran around the clockworks. Trying to stay far enough from the fire. "Laola? Laola!" He kept shouting her name but no one answered. The others looked around. There happened a big fight here. Alot broken and burning trees. Foloya came closer. "She's dead." Smoer stepped backwards. "It can't be..." "Please tell me it's a lie." David came closer. "She's dead damned!" shouted Foloya. David standed in front of Foloya, watching down on her. "Don't say such things. She was a Hamba, almost a God. Gods can't die!" Foloya looked to the ground. "I wish it was a lie. She died trying to stop the clockworks. The clockworks and her died at the same time. Her body disappeared... I couldn't help her, I'm not strong enough for a Clockworks." David stepped away. "No... I need her..." Sven walked closer to the clockworks. "Why do you need her, David. You seem to be a Hero. I saw how you blocked the Meteonyker his hits..." David stared to the ground. "I'm not a Hero." "Then what are you?" asked Larimar. "Even Toro couldn't handle it's hits." David looked to Smoer. Smoer took a deep breath. "David is... well was the pupil of Laola, a Hamba." Lari sighted. "What's all that stuff with those Hambas?" "David said that Gods can't die, but they can. So there need to come new Gods. They get trained by living a humanlife long in Madrigal. They have to learn alot about life to fill the task as a God. But they can die..." "How?" asked MrBored. "Like this." said Smoer. "Monsters, other Gods or just Heroes." Sven stepped away from the Clockworks. "How can a Hero win from a God, aren't they really powerful?" Smoer smiled. "You should listen more to Larimar sometimes." "Heroes never die..." murmeled Lari. "Gods do..." continued David.

They sat near the ruins of Laola her house. No one was talking. After they watched how the Clockworks disappeared, then they walked back to the house of Laola and told the others the bad news. Toro was really shocked since he always found peace with Laola. She was good to talk with when he didn't know what to do anymore. He lost something really worthful. But that's what everyone was thinking. Sam looked worried to Fabio. He had pain but he tried to hide it. "We should go search other help for Toro..." said Sam quiet, breaking the silence. The others agreed. "Where can we go to?" asked MrBored. "To Saint City." said Sven. "They have a sort of hospital there." Neocro and Sam helped Toro on his leggs. Smoer looked around. "David, Foloya... I don't know if you want to but... Feel free to come with us." David nodded. Foloya smiled. "Thanks, I lost my dear woods. I don't know where I have to go now." Toro looked to Larimar who was sweeping around with her big sword. "Larimar... Once again, you don't have to go with me. I'll be fine with only Neocro and Sam their help." Lari shaked her head. "You should keep your promise and get better soon, then we can go to... Azria!" Her eyes sparkled. "A new adventure..." David and Smoer looked to eachother. David smiled. Then they took all a blinkwing to Saint City. After the accident when they left Mas Mines, they always made sure that they had enough blinkwings with them.